


A Normal Heart

by steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb



Category: Empyre - Fandom, Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Medical Realism, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb/pseuds/steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb
Summary: Billy could listen to a billion hearts, but he always knew which one belonged to Teddy.As Teddy settles into his role as emperor, intelligence suggested that not everyone was pleased with the Kree/Skrull alliance.  An attack on their vessel changes both Teddy and Billy, in very different ways.
Relationships: Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

Billy could listen to a billion hearts, and he would always know which one belonged to Teddy.

Each night when Billy snuggled up against Teddy he listened to the sound in Teddy’s chest as his heart beat, mildly flattered that for the first few seconds of him doing so, Teddy’s heart rate briefly quickened. They lay together in a tangle of limbs and blankets as they did most evenings, planning out the following day. Onboard the Skrull vessel they had plenty of room to spread out in bed, yet each night they gravitated towards each other rather than being spaced apart. Compared to their tiny apartment in New York, their bed on the vessel was massive.

“Tomorrow’s nothing but meetings and appointments,” Teddy whined into the top of Billy’s head. “I just want to spend the day with you; let someone else be Emperor for a few hours.”

“You know if you did that there would be chaos in about twenty minutes. The Kree and the Skrulls would be at each others’ throats and chin furrows in less time than it’d take for us to watch an episode of Pokémon.” Billy curled tighter into Teddy’s left side, placing a cold hand against Teddy’s bare stomach. Teddy hitched his stomach in surprise, hissing through his teeth.

“Hon, are you sure you’re not a Skrull in disguise? Because I’m honestly wondering if you’re cold-blooded.” 

“Anything’s possible, I guess,” yawned Billy. He tugged the blanket up to his chin and pulled it tighter around Teddy’s waist before snuggling further into the sheets.

“Also, I have to see J’vnn first thing tomorrow, bright and early.”

“Which one is that?”

“The physician, just a check up or something,” Teddy shrugged. “Mom never took me to a doctor or anything, so it’s not like I have any health records.”

Billy scrunched his face and looked upwards. “Why not?”

“Never got sick. And my guess is a human doctor wouldn’t know what to do with the whole hybrid physiology thing, so it was probably easier to just fudge vaccination records than explain that her son is an alien.”

Now that Teddy mentioned it, Billy could not recall a time in which Teddy were sick. He’d been injured, bruised, and sore, but common ailments such as the flu or colds never bothered him. Billy rarely felt sick, usually just the odd sinus infection about once every year, but since Teddy never had to worry about catching anything, he was the best person to take care of Billy for a few days.

They stayed awake for the next hour, talking about everything and nothing, until Billy drifted off in the middle of a tv show he saved on his phone. Teddy dimmed the artificial light of their room and scoot down into the sheets so that Billy was tucked with his back against Teddy’s front. Most nights Teddy was the “big spoon,” though occasionally they woke up in a reversed position.

“Night, Bee. Love you.”

Billy briefly stirred to mumble some gibberish back and kiss Teddy’s knuckles, cradling Teddy’s arm tight against his own chest. Teddy counted the beats against his palm until he fell asleep as well.


	2. Arrhythmia

Something that always made Billy mentally laugh were the similarities in specialized equipment between humans and Skrulls.

Although the Skrulls might have another word for it, many of the instruments J’vnn used to give Teddy his medical checkup were familiar. Rather than a stethoscope that went into his ears, J’vnn used a device that gave a visual reading as well as sound. Instead of an otoscope with a long handle to look into Teddy’s mouth and ears, J’vnn’s was round and disc-shaped. 

Some devices could only be applicable to Skrulls, however. J’vnn had a device that measured shape-shifting abilities, included measuring changes in mass and density, as well as cellular elasticity. Embarrassingly, J’vnn even had ways of testing Teddy’s virility. To ensure that there would be a Dorrek XI hatchling in the future, J’vnn had said.

Billy sat with Teddy on the exam table, occasionally resting his head on Teddy’s shoulder whenever J’vnn turned around to add data to his computer. Neither were shy about their relationship in front of Teddy’s inner circle of Skrulls, and because of the Skrull ability to assume virtually any gender identity, Billy and Teddy were open about their marriage. They kept their affections to themselves, however, and rarely did anything more intimate than quick pecks on the lips or a squeeze of each other’s hands in public. This morning, however, Billy was tired. The lack of natural light on the ship totally threw off his already abysmal sleep schedule.

“So, how do all my organs look, J’vnn?” Teddy adjusted himself to wrap his arm around Billy’s shoulder, pulling their bodies closer together. 

“Well, your shape-shifting abilities are pristine, my liege,” J’vnn said, briefly smiling down at his data pad. “Your organs look fine; the heart arrhythmia is nothing to worry about.”

Billy sat straight up as if his spine were electrified. “Wait, what?”

“Heart arrhythmia?”

Teddy looked to Billy and held his gaze, torn between wanting to calm Billy and panic himself.

“Yes, my liege, you have a heart arrhythmia. It’s a minor defect, just a weaker ventricle that allows more blood through than the others-“

Billy felt his lungs clamp together and squeeze every last bit of air from his chest. _Something is wrong with Teddy,_ his thoughts repeated, over and over like an alarm he could not control until it was the only thing spinning in his mind.

The heart that Billy cherished, and the beat that made Teddy so unique, was a _defect_. Billy listened to the rhythm to fall asleep, and searched for it in the morning when they woke. He kissed the echo of Teddy’s heartbeat in the vein of his neck whenever Teddy made love to him. Billy could even feel the rhythm in his finger tips when he massaged Teddy’s temples after a particularly stressful day. 

Teddy could see the color drain from Billy’s face and his breathing rate increase. “Hon, take a breath,” he started, but was interrupted by Billy pitching forward and nearly off the exam table, his eyes rolled back into his head. Teddy caught him before he went fully over. “Billy? Woah, hey, look at me.”

J’vnn stood in front of Billy and held his shoulder so Teddy could slide off the exam table. They worked together to reposition Billy and lay him on his back across the table just as Billy shook his head as if to clear a mental fog. “Tee?”

“Hey, handsome, what happened? You nearly took a nosedive off the table.”

“I believe the Prince Consort merely fainted, my liege.” J’vnn said, placing the stethoscope against Billy’s chest. “I apologize if my words were offensive in some way-“

Teddy waved him off. “No need to apologize, J’vnn, as long as he’s okay. Do we have any water or juice on the ship? Something to drink.”

“I will search for something at once, sir.” J’vnn hurried along and left the couple momentarily alone. Teddy tried not to crowd Billy, instead he calmly stroked the top of Billy’s head, combing through his thick black hair with the sharper points of his fingers.

“How are you feeling, hon?”

Billy scrunched his eyebrows together and covered his face with his hands, partially from embarrassment but also to ground himself. “Can we go talk to my dad? Please?”

“Your dad,” Teddy repeated, curious as to what Billy meant. “I mean, sure, but why your dad?”

“He’s a cardiologist, I want him to listen to your heart.” Billy’s voice wavered, and Teddy heard him sniffle. 

Teddy took one of Billy’s hands in his own and kissed his knuckles. “Oh, hon,” Teddy chuckled, “I’m fine. J’vnn said that it was minor and anything to worry about.”

“I know, but I just want him to listen. How do we know something like this isn’t genetic?” Billy scrunched his face once again to stop himself from crying, quickly losing to the tears that escaped between his fingers. “What if one of our kids has some kind of fatal heart condition?!”

“Billy, we aren’t even having kids for, like, ten years!”

“Should we even _have_ kids? They’re gonna be doomed before they’re even born,” rambled Billy as if Teddy were not present. They discussed fertility options well before they married; in an effort to keep the genetic lineage of the Skrull/Kree Alliance intact, they decided that Teddy would be the one to provide the genetic materials for surrogacy. Billy was terrified of passing on his Major Depressive Disorder, and prior to five minutes ago he figured that Teddy was genetically perfect. 

Teddy rested his forehead against Billy’s, remaining quiet until Billy collected himself. J’vnn returned with a cup of red liquid, which Teddy recognized as T’Manja berry juice; Billy tried his best to enjoy Skrull and Kree foods, but juice was the only substance he drank with regularity. He helped Billy sit up once again, handing him the cup and standing in between Billy’s knees as he drank with shaky hands.

“J’vnn, Billy and I are going to take a day and visit his parents. Can you see to it that the tribe from Kree-Lar is cared for until we get back? I hate delaying them another day but we also need a visit to Earth, I think.”

“Of course, Emperor Dorrek,” J’vnn bowed, his hand crossing his chest. “I will ensure they are comfortable until your return.”

“We won’t be gone long, just until morning. Then we can resume our discussion over establishing their governance.” Teddy pat Billy’s thigh, then leaned forward to kiss the top of his head. “Feeling better?”

Billy nodded against Teddy’s chin. “Mom probably needs a break from Tommy, actually. Maybe we can bring him back with us.”

Sometimes Teddy hated it when Billy was right.


End file.
